Device for producing bag closures



Oct. 11, 1960 E. HECKELE DEVICE FOR PRODUCING BAG CLOSURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 27, 1959 Oct. 11, 1960 E. HECKELE DEVICE FOR PRODUCING BAG CLOSURE-S Filed May 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States PatentO 2,955,397 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING BAG CLOSURES Erich Heckele, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland,

asslgnor to Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland Filed May 27, 1959, Ser. No. 816,103 Claims priority, application Switzerland May 30, 1958 I 3 Claims. (Cl. 53-128) The device for carrying out these operations comprises two complementary jaws having undulated profiles which grip the margin of the bag and which are provided with open grooves on the level of the slots to be made in the bag, means for the making of the said slots, and means for inserting the said small bar.

The present invention has the main object of improving the aforesaid device.

With this and other objects in view which will become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings, I provide a device for producing bag closures formed by rolling the open end of a bag over a small bar inserted into slots adjacent the margin of the said bag, comprising in combination: a pair of jaws having complementarily undulated profiles gripping in operation one wall of the open end of a bag and having grooves transverse of the said profiles, a knife reciprocatably mounted at the level of the said grooves and in operation penetrating into the same and cutting slots into the said wall of the bag, stilf bar material passed alongside the said knife, and clamping means alternately coupling the said bar material to the said knife during its movement into the said bag and uncoupling it from said knife and arresting it during the return movement thereof.

Preferably a storage reel is provided storing a con tinuousstiif band forming the said bar material, and cutting means cutting off the lengths of the band inserted into the bag and formingthe said closure thereof.

Preferably the said clamping means comprise a fixed support arranged alongside the said reciprocatable knife, said knife having a longitudinal slot opposite said fixed support, a first reciprocating clamp forcing the said band against the said knife, and a second stationary, clamp forcing the said band through the said fixed support, the said two clamps coming into action alternately.

Conventional means are provided for co-ordinating the movements of the said jaws of the said knife, of the said cutting means cutting off the lengths of the said band forming the closure bars for the bags.

These and other features of the present invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a bag in various -Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the cutting appliance and Fig. 9 is a working diagram indicating the various phases of operation.

In a wall 1 of the bag 2 two pairs of slots 3 are cut, into which a small bar 4 is inserted (Fig. /1). The open end of the bag is folded for instance by means of a clamp and is rolled over the small bar 4. The ends of this bar are then turned back, for instance by another clamp, whereby the closure is effected and the bag is kept in its closed position (Fig. 2).

The small bars 4 consist of several usually parallel wires 16 which are arranged between two paper foils 17 glued to one another (Fig. 3).

In Figs. 4 to 9 an embodiment of a device for producing such a closure of a bag is illustrated. It has a storage reel 7 from which a band 8 is drawn off, which is passed to a punching or cutting device 10 through a mechanism 9 to be described hereinafter. This device 10 cuts the small bars 4 from the band 8, as required.

Moreover two jaws 11, 12 (Figs. 6, 7) are provided, which have complementary undulated profiles, between which the upper margin of one of the walls of the open end of the bag 2 is gripped. Each of these jaws has an open transversely positioned groove 13 and 14, respectively, which are both on the level of the slots 3 to be provided. -The number of these slots is determined by the profile of the jaws 11, 12. 7

The'mechanism 9 (Figs. 4,"'5 and 8) comprises a knife 15 which is fixed to a carrier 18. The latter is mounted reciprocatably on a rail 19 extending parallel to the band 8. The knife 15 has a C-shaped profile except on its point 20. Its left hand side end (Fig. 8) is provided with a slot 21 open at one end. The knife 15 is designed for being inserted into the channel formed by the grooves 13, 14 from the left hand side, in order to cut the slots 3 into the paper wall and to carry along the band 8.

Moreover on the carrier 18 a clamp 22 is pivotally mounted. This clamp 22 is formed T-shape, the end pointing upward of the longer arm carrying a freely rotatable roller 23. A spring 24 biases the clamp-22 in such a manner that the shorter arm of the clamp tends to keep out of contact with the knife 15 (Fig. 8). On the level of the roller 23 a rail -25 is arranged parallel to the knife 15. This rail 25 is fixed to a bar 26 capable of displacing the same to-and-fro in the direction transverse of the direction of movement of the carrier 18. In the position according to Fig. 8, the rail 25 is not in contact with the roller 23. In the other position it comes into contact with this roller 23 whereby the clamp 22 is rocked against the bias of the spring 24 in such a manner, that its shorter arm comes into contact with the knife 15.

Moreover a further T-shaped clamp 27 is fixedly mounted on an axle 28 in such a manner that its shorter arm 27' lies in the range of the slot 21. Behind this slot 21 and opposite the said arm 27 a fixedly arranged support 29 is provided.

The device described operates as follows:

. The knife 15 is shifted toward the right ('Fig. 8). The clamp 22 is out of contact with the knife 15, while the clamp 27 forces the band 8 against the support 29, so that the knife moves without carrying along the band 8. This period A (Fig. 9) lasts until the protruding end of the band 8 is beyond the point 20 of the knife.

At this moment the clamp 22 comes into contact with the band 8 and forces the same against the knife 15, while the clamp 27 is rocked and releases the band. The knife 15 cuts the slots 3 into the paper wall 1 and at the same time introduces the band 8 (period B, Fig. 9). .3

Then .the action of the clamps 22, 27 alternates again.

The clamp 22 releases the band 8, and the clamp 27 presses it against the support 29. The knife 15 is retracted, while the band 8, however, stands still and is not carried along (period C, Fig. 9). v V

The cutting device 10 cuts the piece required for forming the closure bars off the band 8 (period D, Fig. 9').

The bag is thereafter released by the jaws 11, 12 and is transported away by means of a conveyor belt 30.

The jaws 11, 12, the cutting device 10, the knife 15, the bar 26, the shaft 28 and the conveyor belt 36 are actuated by a driving mechanism 32. The jaws 1 1 and 12 are moved up and down by an eccentric cam 33 and a connecting rod 34. The oscillating movement of the bar 26 is effected by a rocking lever 36 actuated by the driving mechanism 32. A gearing 38 connected to the said mechanism and driven thereby moves the conveyor belt 30 by means of a chain or an endless belt 39. The gearing 38 furthermore actuates an eccentric cam 41 which latter moves a connecting rod 42, the carrier 18 and the knife 15, to which an oscillatory movement is imparted. The cutting device 10 is preferably provided with two coacting knife edges formed by the legs 44, 45 mounted on the shaft 46. This cutting device 10 is also actuated by the gearing 38 through a shaft 47 and an eccentric disc 48.

While I have described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. -A device for producing a closure of a bag formed by rolling its open end over a small bar inserted into slots adjacent the margin of the said bag, comprising in combination: a pair of jaws having complementarily undulated profiles gripping in operation one wall of the open end of a bag and having grooves transverse of the said profiles, a knife reciprocatably mounted at the level of the said grooves and in operation penetrating into the same and cutting slots intotthe said wall of the bag, stiff bar material passed alongside the said knife and clamping means alternately coupling the said bar material to the said knife during its movement. into the said knife during its movement into the said bag and arresting it during the return movement thereof.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a storage reel storing a continuous stifi band forming the said bar material, and cutting means cutting off the lengths of the band inserted into the bag and forming the said closure bars thereof.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said clamping means comprise a fixed support arranged alongside the said reciprocatable knife, said knife having a longitudinal slot opposite said fixed support a first reciprocating clamp forcing the said band against the said knife, and a second stationary clamp forcing the said band through the said slot of the knife against the said fixed support, the said two clamps coming into action alternately.

No references cited.

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